It's probably even more important for it to be a good design for your back as the Japanese walk everywhere even to and from schools starting at kindergarten! I'm sure they use it for years until they hit high school.
They only need to buy a bag once throughout elementary which makes it worth it! Plus the bags are so durable and stay looking neat and good even after many years
There are many reasons why they have to use randoseru. kids can protect their heads with randoseru when earthquake happens. it prevents from hitting your head when you fall backward. it floats on water so you can hold on to it when you accidentally fall into a river or ocean. edit: sorry I'm Japanese and not fluent in English. I should have said "if" not "when". but unfortunately these things happen quite often in Japan. We have earthquakes almost every month, kids have to walk to school by themselves and they often slip when the roads are icy in winter, and there are rivers everywhere even in the big cities and Japan is surrounded by the ocean so water accidents happen very often... Most kids use the same randoseru everyday for 6 years. Kids throw them and sit on them but somehow they don't get damaged. its the best quality backpack I've ever owened! I hope my comment helps people to know more about randoseru!
I'm a teacher in Japan and these backpacks are so heavy that my kids struggle to pick them up and carry them around. Some of them (older elementary) do carry books which makes it even more heavy 😢 a lighter version of this backpack (non-leather) has been introduced for half the price ~ I hope it sticks.
@@cookiestrong8757 I don't understand... maybe she's comparing the load of textbooks in Japan to other countries. Like in India, we carry at least 10 textbooks and 6 notebooks everyday
I saw a documentary on these bags they are so sturdy that they are often deconstructed and made into things like purses, wallets, and document cases or portfolios for students moving on to higher education or into the work force
@anyor1977 it was a zero waste recycling video here on RU-vid. The channel seems to focouse a lot on jqpanese recycling and artists who either provide a unique service or artist
I had it. We use the same one for 6 years. It is well made. Where I grew up, people often help some families that can’t afford it by giving them the old one that their children used. Same as the bicycle helmet. Going to intermediate, we can go with bicycle if we want. But we had to have a while helmet with different color reflective tape for each different grade. Those as well, we help each other by handing them down to others. In public elementary school, we go to school with our own clothes. So I think the backpack gives the feeling of uniformity. Plus graduating from pre-school and going to elementary school is a big deal. And gives the children the feel of new start. Public intermediate and high school has uniform, and we switch these back pack to briefcase type leather bags.
It’s crazy too because in Japan the children walking to school alone is very normal and SAFE! It’s not unusual to see a child in their school uniform going to school alone (or with a classmate)
@@catmoon7594exactly. If they had kids walking around in the US with $500 backpacks on they would most certainly be stolen most of the time, before they even get to the school!
i remember the old days my cousin goes here in the Philippines she have red bag the same to that she lives in gunma ken, japan and having a family now.
German here We also have orthopedic backpacks for elementary kids but they come in different shapes and are light weighted because they have to carry some books But i think the self defense panic button to make a loud sound is a great addition We have safety wests and reflectors for our kids tho so they can go safely to school in the winter months
German in Japan here: The danger button is nothing fixed to the randoseru but you get them from some sponsor once you enter school. You could easily fix them to German Ranzen, too, which is what we did. Besides being heavy and way too small for all the stuff kids gave to take to school here, visibility was my biggest concern. First graders wear the yellow flap and a hat for better visibility but after that bad luck if you overlook and hit a school kid in those narrow streets without pavements in bad weather or the dark. Apparently some parents see that as a problem, too, and buy reflective tape in 100 Yen stores. Due to that and my parents also wanting to give something to the children, my kids used German backpacks instead. Our school was quite impressed by the standard features of an ordinary backpack.
These backpacks also last YEARS compared to having to pay for USA high end backpacks every year and when they graduate and move on to the next school, they either donate it to newer younger students or r donate it to be made into other items because it’s STILL that good and high quality.
What the hell are people doing to their backpacks? I had the same 20 dollar target bag for middle and high school AND I used it as my fishing bag after I graduated until the salt water inevitably got to the zippers. And I carried a fair bit of work in that bag since I was in honors/AP
@@mcd08 I don’t know what your school system was like but here we have to lug around all our books, notebooks,pens, pencils and our heavy laptop and charger daily. I go through 2-3 backpacks a year because the seams fall apart due to the weight. If I buy a cheap backpack, I’ll be back at the store in like 2 weeks.
@@diamondheart9268 yea no same i carried textbooks, binders, notebooks I mean we didn't have lockers so we were required to carry one folder and one notebook for the core classes (4 classes) and textbooks for some classes. Half the time I ended up having to carry some of my things in my hands because they just wouldn't fit in the bag. And being a girl I always had a bunch of unnecessary crap like hairbrush and perfume lol
high end back backs ever year? how much you spending? even buying 50 dollars ones every year is about the same as these backpacks if she stated the actual average price (500 seems way to high and on google it seems like most are closer to 150-300 USD from used to new) and even then most backpacks are closer to 40, if you include kindergarten thats 520 and there are years you could easily use the same backpack granted yes backpacks should last longer then they do, the most my backpacks ever got ruined were in highschool carrying almost 50 pounds of books for every class (since the damn schools dont have enough books to keep in class rooms anymore and honestly not sure were to blame schools for poor budgeting or poor state funding to schools)
These back packs used to be available in black and red only. The boys would use the black ones and the red ones were for the girls. They have so many options now allowing the children to show more of their personalities and individuality.
Yes! I was also going to say so. I was lucky enough to attend a Japanese primary school for a day in the 90s and all the kids had red or black (split by gender, as you said)
Same here in Germany: you get a Ranzen for the 1st to 4th class. You can adapt the backpack for the size of your children - when they grow, the backside of the Ranzen (some call it tornister) will grow with them. Pricewise it's around 250 to 350 € for the actual models - these from the previous year are a little bit cheaper. Therefore you get a backpack, a map for your pens (and ruler, Rubber, coloring pencils, fountain pen etc...) + a sportsbag the same design. The backpack itself is really light weight (below 1 kg) and comes in many shapes and Designs: soft or hard, wide or narrow, with dinos, rockets, deers, faires, butterflies, spiders or football-players. If the child doesn't like the design after a while: most of the pictures are patches, added with a magnet or with velcro. So you take off the rockets and put on a fire brigade (as my son did the other day...).
When I was small, I was living abroad from Japan but would come back to visit in the summer and my family would always enroll me in the local school, so I did have my own backpack. It was very nice, dark brown and had some white embroidery!
my uncle got me a north face backpack for my 5th birthday. i was devastated bc i wanted a barbie princess backpack, but im 22 now and i still use that backpack as my work bag, hiking backpack, and as a carry-on. still in amazing shape and I'll probably have it for another 20 years
They do last for so long. I got it as a gift in 5th grade.It was stolen back in sophomore year of high school. Didn’t even have a sign of wear or tear. I still miss it.
Mine was given away by mom to my nephew when i dont use it for a while becaus she think its ugly😂😂😂😂 kinda painfull because its not cheap and i buy it with my own money😭
@@hanaichi3324 Do families have to buy new, or can they buy second hand? Maybe buying second hand can cost less especially if they’re really sturdy and kept in good condition
@@vtheory7531yep a lot of people actually buy it second hand. I got mine from my moms friend when I was in elementary. You can find ones sold for under $15 dollars on mercari.
Ngl since the first time i saw these bags i always wanted one even though I was already in my later years in highschool and even now as an adult i find these bags cool af, they're way more cooler looking than the normal backpack/bags used all over rhe world and they're good for your back and most importantly can protect you in many ways, I'd definitely pay $500+ for a randoseru
these backpacks are handed down to your children and grandchildren..for many generations and refurbished and taken care of and respected and cherished. the garbage americans use for backpacks suck
Those bags are styled now, the original bags were the same structure but with markers letting the adults know that the child is traveling alone to school, and if I’m not mistaken their grade level. This is on purpose for adults to help the child when commuting to school like crossing the street or giving up the seats in trains, and also protection for their heads in case of an earthquake.
That's wild. In America, we would see those markers as a one way ticket to getting your child kidnapped-- *especially* the traveling alone marker. You simply do not see children under 12 or 13 traveling alone in most parts of America. This cultural difference is wild.
Japanese here. It never tells grade levels as you are supposed to use the same bag for the whole 6 years. Sure it does tell they are anywhere between 1-6th grade but that’s it
@@user-mc7vh1jp6n does it actually tell whether or not the child is traveling alone? That was the weirdest part to me. It seems like it would just make them a target for kidnapping.
switzerland is similar!! everyone has very boxy backpacks, common brand is HAMA. they have reflective parts, an easy latch instead of zippers, insulated pouch for a snack, and are massive!! still have like 15 years later lol
My husband saw these in a department store while visiting and were curious on getting one for our daughter. We had no idea how expensive just the basic ones were! $500 was just the starting prices, the embroidered ones are over $800
It's also because kids will use these backpacks all through elementary school, about six years. I personally never owned a backpack that lasted more than a year in school before a strap broke.
They are expensive but at least they are made to be incredibly durable with good quality materials. Did you see when they showed details and the inside of the backpack? All of the hardware looked heavy duty. It also has a ridged form so whatever is carried inside doesn’t get crushed during commute. I make handbags myself and can say that a lot of work goes into making bags in general. There is a lot of piecing involved and at times there are several layers which requires heavy duty sewing equipment. It becomes understandable rather quickly why the price is what it is.
@katarzynaidzikowska4209 that's the fun thing about the differences in taste. You don't see it as beautiful but the OP does. You don't have to like what they like. You also don't have to leave negative comments when someone has a different option than you.
Back in the 70s when I was in elementary school, we used to keep all of our books underneath the desk too. We had individual desks like that, but they had this metal thing that came down that all your books and your folder stayed in there.
They look waterproof too, japan rain is intense 🌧…. I had a regular umbrella and the rain just started going straight through-we had to buy the plastic ones lol
When we moved back from Japan to Europe, my kids brought their backpacks as hand luggage and used them in their new schools. They were the best school bags ever.
My kids use the ones my in-laws bought them i never ask why they bought them for my kids who are in an American school (my wife is japanese) i kinda assumed the worst that it was more jealousy of my MIL not liking me for being a white American who married her daughter and took her away from there rural village
@@sqike001tonDang bro. Why would you assume the worst? It's really reasonable for grandparents to want to be involved in a rite of passage like the first day of school. Buying a special backpack is something they can do to show their love to your kids from afar.
@@sqike001ton Grandparents gift the bags to their grandchildren, if all your friends is living a ritual or tradition, you want to experience the same no matter if they are in America o Japan.
@@rikkansiOP is just telling it like it is. They're not ashamed to make it very obvious that they hate the person their child marries if they're not Japanese. It's normal. I have a friend who is half Japanese and his father's parents have treated my friend's mother line dirt for decades because she's American. They have no issue living here and benefiting from that, but they hate Americans.
yesss I was waiting for it!! I love the name, as it originates from the German "Ranzen" (Schulranzen) which I, as a native speaker, have always thought was a funny sounding name in German already, haha.
@@KenshouHarpuia You sure? I thought it originated from "Ransel" a dutch soldiers backpack. It was the Dutch that were the only ones who were allowed to trade in the Edo periode. (1600-1868) (I looked it up) They introduced that kind of backpack to Japan. German and Dutch have the same origine, so i understand the mistake that you thought it was German.
One time on a Math Test it asked to find the Volume of a backpack that is a Rectangular Prism. So I asked my Teacher who has Rectangular Prism shaped backpack and she said people in Japan do.
when i was a kid here in portugal, we also kept our schoolbooks under our desks, only bringing home the necessary books for the day's homework. i still had a schoolbag with wheels, though, as the books could still be quite heavy. starting middle school i was told to drop the wheels, but at the same time we started bringing the books from home every day rather than keeping them in school, and there was a whole lot more of them, too. in my generation there was a whole issue of children having back problems and scoliosis because of the heavy backpacks. they never did fix this, but i stopped hearing about it. i think they just latched on cellphones and the bad posture they can lead to as an excuse and called it a day. sigh.
I remember (in the 90s) we girls all had a red one except one girl in our class who had a pink one and I used to think "wow so fancy, she must be so rich" 😂 I also remember at certain point my parents got a specialised lighter one for me (I've always been tiny, even among japanese) because the normal one I had was so heavy!
My elementary school in Japan actually allowed normal backpacks and only about 10% of the students used the randoseru. I used the normal backpacks but it seemed hard to open and close the randoseru, and normal backpacks fit way more stuff then them. Also, if it's just a normal backpack, you can use it after you graduate elemetary so I just think it's a lot better considering the price too.
This is called “randoseru” mine was about $800 with brown and pink, it’s also extremely rare to find anybody not wearing them. I don’t remember the alarm thing tho, it might be because I lived in a rural area.
@@tabbi888A japanese person in another comment said that these are branded ones or something that makes them this expensive, but that normally they are around $70 or $100
I think the price worth it since it’ll last long as they didn’t have to carry textbooks. In my country, we’ll buy the cheapest one since no matter how expensive it is, it’ll only lasts 3 months. The textbooks weight average 5kg which we need to bring it everyday 😂
In my time, we had to bring all the books according to the timetable of the respective day. (Today, some schools have lockers and iPads are also used). The worst were the days when the big atlas and the Bible both had to be brought along. Nevertheless, our bags lasted for several years. The bag from the first school year was only replaced for secondary school because it was no longer cool enough.
I'm from SE Asia. Student lockers didn't ever exist in public schools here and yes we carry 5kg or so on our backs to and fro (home to school) from grade 1-6 and to secondary school 1-5+, but this was during my childhood around the 90s-00s. The school bags are only replaced or fixed when the straps etc snapped and that depends on how heavy your government allowed the textbooks and additional exercise books to be made yearly, not including the notebooks or reference books 😂 8-15 or 20 classes per subjects depending on whichever grade/age you are X 4-5 books per subjects. Elective included or otherwise. Multiply to that equation if you go to two different schools daily (morning and afternoon are two different school sessions altogether: yes there are more than one school choices per kid per age and it is normal to attend two or more schools at a time, daily), and at night or on the weekends extra tuition classes. And these didn't even include the hobby classes yet (like art and music etc). Now Idk how my country's schools are evolving post 2020. But even back then it was already PACKED. Maybe the kids today are saved because they can simply attend classes remotely 😂
I had to buy a new backpack every school year in the US. My spine is permanently damaged from the quantity of textbooks, dictionaries, thesauri, and other books and items I had to carry every single day. It's been 30 years, and my spine is slowly disintegrating, all starting back in high school.
My grandmother bought all her grandkids these backpacks, she was a teacher in Japan for a long time, she didn’t get to buy them for our parents so she got them for me and my cousins.
I'm japanese.I used this for six years in elementary school. I was told that it was originally used by the Dutch army. When I became a junior high school student, I wore a school uniform called “Gakuran/学蘭”, which was also an old Dutch military uniform.
the basis of these bags is not only on being durable. it also helps students if they have an accident such as falling into deep water and these bags will help them float.
I just don't get what people fall into deep water with such frequency. Most big cities all over the world have water running through the middle, because in ancient times people settled near water. Then the places grew and grew. But falling into water in a city or town, not talking about hiking in the woods etc, is not very common, I think.
@@tarastreasure Japan sits on top of 4 tectonic plates which have created a complex network of mountainous valleys where springs and rivers form, they also get hit with typhoons and tropical storms from being in the pacific ocean; all these facts contribute to a higher risk of floods. Not to mention that japan has earthquakes which can cause tsunamis. Also the randoseru can also be used to protect their heads during the earthquake.
@@KitOkunari i know. My country has earthquakes, too. (Less often though.) The water part was mentioned in these comments much more than the earthquakes. But I supoose you could fall into water related to an earthquake. Otherwise, just walking on the streets, very unlikely. Bridges and road sides near water have panels, barriers and stuff.
If remember right those backpacks in Japan are uses as help in area deadlier than a bullet earthquakes. That why they keep pet fish the fish start acting funny when a earthquake about to start.
Is it really necessary to bring in the American stereotypes every single time someone talks about education in a different country? Yes, I know that the public schools are bad,that's why I have been homeschooled since kindergarten, but we don't have to talk about it every single time because it is so tiring to hear about it constantly!
They did mention that they don't have to carry textbooks in it so it probably just has notebooks and pencil cases as well as their bento boxes for lunch. In the US my back was screaming with the number of heavy textbooks I had to bring back and forth from school to home, and vice versa.
Another incredibly factually incorrect video about Japan. Landsails are very heavy and kids do carry many books in them. They also begin to smell terrible after years of successive use. They are INSANELY EXPENSIVE! Wanna spend $600+ on a child's backpack? Didn't think so.
I have a rondeseru, it held my binder/notebook, large pencil case, makeup bag, and laptop. Mine also has a good size zip pocket in the front that holds a lotion, mask, and army of tampons and theres still room everywhere in it
In the uk my school had it so everyone had to buy the same backpack from the school store where the logo was plastered over it, no other schools around did this and parents where so angry when they made the change and especially a year later when half the kids backpacks where ruined from them being bad quality and falling apart but costing extortionate prices, this was a private normal secondary school
@@gracchen2500 just buy a kids one second hand tbh. Their resale price is significantly lower than their in store price. And you can usually get them basically unused If you’re bigger, it might not work, but the kids one fits me fine. I just adjust the straps
In Germany there are similar ones. All the kids wear the same type of bag from a company called ‘Scout’, just with different motifs and colors. Definitely way more comfortable and sturdy. They also last longer.
Yes. Scout Schulranzen are very similar similar in design and concept. I raised my son in Germany. He is now an adult but he still has his Schulranzen for memory sake
But it's very diff in Germany. While the scout brand is very popular in elementary school, only some have them. And they're very lightweight and come in many different colours/designs.
My parents found one in a thrift store for 30 dollars and got it for me. It’s actually so comfortable, and I love that you can put charms on it. I wouldn’t use it for school tho, I do have textbooks to carry 😭
A lot of people talk about the price which I agree is very expensive but they usually use them for 6 years (Japanese elementary school is 6 yrs instead of 5) and their school years are longer. Although you could argue that you could use a cheaper backpack, I believe if you are going to consistently use it over the years it’s not a waste. I had one and it was second hand so it was a bit cheaper (around $300) but I loved using it.
@@jborrego2406 i can't speak for all schools but for mine it wasn't a requirement for everyone to have it but most families preferred it. some of us thought those with regular backpacks were lucky since they were different and others didn't care and liked using their randoseru. again i can't speak on behalf of every family but my family wasn't that well off but my grandmother had saved up money to give to my parents so they could buy me one.
@@dearmysoul6706 first of all this isn't even true (at least for my school) it's just our textbooks are much thinner so it's not that heavy. second of all when did i recommend you to use it lol this comment was just to talk about my experience and had nothing to do with trying to get other people to use it like yourself. i'm aware it's a big investment and you obviously don't understand the culture nor do i expect you to.
Uhm, i've been to elementary on Japan and we actually brought some textbooks and other Important things like study notebook, pencil case and etc.@@dearmysoul6706
i feel like any backpack can last you years if you treat it well enough though (not that these aren’t awesome). i paid $7 for my backpack that i use every day, sometimes to carry very heavy things, 5 years ago now. i just don’t go out of my way to abuse it and it’s still great.
@@larissatom6910 It's not about that they can be used for all their elementary school years but it's just about the security they give to the child, otherwise the normal backpack can also last years and it will be at most around 10 dollars or less in India. What matters is that the emergency alarm is present by giving that extent of money. 😅 But if a child need that much security even in school and outside on streets then we should not stay at that kind of place. As in our country a child literally play outside at any time of the day without thinking about security like what they have to think about in Japan for just going to school.
@@yourethecauseofmyeuphoria9201 I don’t think the security alarm adds that much to the cost as you can buy them separately for a relatively inexpensive price. Japan has a reputation for being a safe place for children so the alarm so I was actually surprised the backpacks even had alarms.
fr, People say "It's durable and secure" but the alarm part is clearly an external addon and there are probably stuff more durable and lite for way cheaper. Like my bag when i was in school was a handmade 20ish dollars (when converting) one that i used for like 5 years carrying 9+ notebooks regularly.
I live in the Filipinos and my school gave all the students this type of bag because I heard that it's thick and hard because your meant to pull it over your head for emergencys so that your head won't get hit by stuff (we probably have this because we have earthquakes and floods every other week😅)
it’s similar in germany !! not *every* child, but the vast majority of us in my german primary school all had Der Echte Scout branded backpacks which were similarly bulky but with super varied styles
The bag is actually used to cover the kid when earthquake strikes. Japan experience a lot of earthquake and the bag can be used as a floating device. The bag was made with life saving features hence the price
I remember those when i was in first grade in Japan. I remember having those magnetic pencil cases, pencils that need those hoop things that aids in writing, and the air piano (idk what those were called. its a mini keyboard that needs to be blown to have sound)
I can't speak about Japan (since I have never been there in my life), but in Germany we also have kinda the same backpack system for elementary school kids. In Germany there is no rule what kind of backpack your child should wear, but it's highly encouraged by society (also peer pressure) to buy a kid a typical elementary kids backpack (also called 'Tornister' or 'Schulranzen'), because of the advantages: 1. The bags are made so that kids can carry a lot of books to school and back (we don't keep the books there), and that it doesn't hurt the backs. 2. It's usually includes some high-vis/ reflective material, so the children will be seen in the dark when they are walking to school. 3. The material is really robust. My beloved Pokémon backpack saved me from a car crash. I wasn't hurt (beside some minor scratches) at all! A German elementary school backpack costs around 100-150€, grandparents usually step in and pay (some of) the money. There are a lot of designs which you can choose from: just standard one colour, classical themes like firefighter trucks, horses, hearts or licenced themes, like superheroes and so on. Usually kids stop wearing this kind of backpack when they are finished with the elementary school (around 10-11 years old). The design of the Japanese backpacks looks more like modern Versions of classical German school backpacks from around 100-150 years ago. Japan at the time got a lot of influences from England and Germany during the modernisation of their country. I think you can even make a connection to the Japanese "sailor" school uniforms of today, because at this time navy uniforms were very modern (fashionable) in Germany and Britain.
I asked my Japanese friends and they said basically because the backpack could last the entire elementary which is 6 years. Of course it's not mandatory, some kids go with other backpacks as well but it's already so common most kids actually looking forward to have this bag when they start elementary. As foreigner I want one too.
Depending on how much you use it or if you'll have it for your whole 13-17 years of education I think the price is worth it. Also it gives grandparents a nice way of giving to their grandchildren.
I have never seen anyone other than elementary students wear it. Im a high school student in Japan and I would probably get weird looks if i used it lol
Talking about randoseru, i have it back then. That backpack is not your usual one. It's indeed a heavy backpack some of them can weigh up to 870-1,400g, the durability is great (based on my personal experience, from throwing it from 2nd floor). I still have the backpack, except it's now passed to my neice.
I got one of those school bags when I travelled to Japan as a kid. Maybe it’s just me, but the capacity (for primary school) is really not enough if I needed to carry books + waterbottle + stationary + other stuff. Since the exterior is so tough it’s basically impossible to stuff items in it too, so I ended up having to carry another totebag almost everyday. The durability and quality (and aesthetic, which is what I prioritised back then) is unparalleled.
It's also important to note that despite the price, a randoseru is often used until the child reaches middle school. That's a good 9 years before switching to a regular bag for high school.
The design looks like it would last quite a long time so knowing the quality is good, you can kind of divide the amount of years they're going to be in school and using that bag by the $500 they're going to spend on it. It's about the same that you spend on multiple backpacks in the US over a lifetime of a child
In Germany, elementary school kids also tend to get a certain type or school backpack. Through they're a bit bigger and heavier, because kids here DO carry their books.
Do not be surprised, anything & everything in Japan are expensive, that's how rich they are. They have a highest standard of living, and their salaries are high too compared to other countries. The amount of these school bags are not really expensive for them.
When I was in school I would always buy good decent school bags for 10 to 15 dollars at the store down the street from me and that school bag would last me about a year or two before I would have to buy a new school bag.
@@Skankhunt42-xl9fq I'd buy $50 ones that last me 4-5 years, but $50 isn't enough for almost anyone to rob a kid. $500 though... that's way too much haha
I imported one of those bags from Japan because I often prefer backpacks and messenger bags to standard purses, and its extremely heckin comfortable, I often use it for my ER/hospital stay bag because it fits my iPad, phone, chargers, a plush for comfort, wallet, and even came with a rain cover. It also fits easily on my wheelchair and is extremely sturdy. That and my bag of holding are my favorite bags I own.
The fuller the bag with textbooks, they help you float on water. They could lighten the damage of car crush and you can protect your head when earthquake. That’s what I learned from school when I was 7 :)
